1. Field of the Invention
The field of the invention relates generally to devices for carrying wheelchairs, scooters, remotely piloted ground vehicles, and any other device or apparatus as may be desired to be carried on or by a vehicle such as an automobile or other vehicle. More specifically, the invention relates to devices and methods for carrying objects on a vehicle, and extending the object from a first side of the vehicle along the first side, pivoting at a corner of the vehicle and extending the object to be carried along a second side of the vehicle. Such devices and methods are useful, for example, when carrying a wheelchair or scooter on the rear side of a vehicle, and, when desired, extending the scooter or wheelchair along the rear of the vehicle, pivoting around a rear corner of the vehicle, and extending the scooter or wheelchair along a side of the vehicle to a passenger or driver door such that a user may exit a passenger or driver door and be in close proximity to, or to directly access, wheelchair or scooter. The examples provided herein are for exemplary purposes only and the scope of the invention is not to be construed as being limited to only the examples and embodiments described herein or depicted in the figures.
2. Background Art
Wheelchairs, scooters, and other objects are often carried on or in proximity to the rear side of a motor vehicle, such as an automobile or truck, when it is desired to transport such objects from one location to another. In many instances, such objects are either directly attached to a trailer hitch receiver or are carried in a frame that is directly attached to a trailer hitch receiver; or, in the alternative, may be attached a rear bumper of the vehicle. Typically, when a user arrives at a desired destination and desires to utilize the object that is being carried, they must exit the vehicle, ambulate along the side of the vehicle and around to the rear side of the vehicle from the passenger side or driver side door, and attend to releasing the object from the trailer hitch receiver or removing it from a frame that is directly attached to a trailer hitch receiver. This requires a user to be able to walk from the passenger or driver side door to the rear vehicle.
Not all users are able to ambulate easily from a passenger door or driver side door, along a side of the vehicle, to the rear of the vehicle so that they may access the object to be carried. These persons may experience difficulty caused by the physical condition of the user, such as a physical injury to an extremity or physical disability. This difficulty may also be caused by environmental factors such as extreme rain snow or sleet or other weather conditions that may cause slippery conditions underfoot. Furthermore, the surface upon which a user must ambulate in order to arrive at the rear of the vehicle make itself present a hazardous condition to the user. This could be the case, when a vehicle is partially parked over a deep puddle, slick surface, or other hazardous surface condition. In such situations it would be desirable that the object to be carried on one side of the vehicle be presented to a user on another side of the vehicle, such as a user exiting a passenger or driver side door, so that access to the object being carried, for instance a wheelchair or scooter, may be easily accessed without the need for the user to exit the vehicle and traverse the distance along the sides of the vehicle to reach the object.
What is needed in the art, therefore, is a method and device for extending an object to be carried, such as a wheelchair or scooter, from a first side of a vehicle to a second side of the vehicle so that it may easily be accessed by a user.